“My father was well respected in the advertising business,” his son said. “But his talents weren't just limited to that; his skills as a copy writer and as a creative person made him an authority in the field.”

Family members said Anderson's wife handled all the finances for the firm while he and his son wrote TV and radio commercials, newspaper and magazine ads, and outdoor billboards.

Anderson died of pneumonia Sunday at 90.

Born in Racine, Wis., Anderson attended Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind.

Anderson joined the Navy at 21 during World War II and often told a story about how he chose that branch of the military, his son said.

“He went to the Army and Navy recruiting desks, and the Army already had a person in line. The Navy desk told him he'd get a higher rank with two years of college under his belt, so he joined,” his son said.

He became an officer and completed flight school. He was a flight instructor in Kingsville, where he met his future wife, Florence James.

The couple wed and moved to Missouri so Anderson could complete his journalism degree at the University of Missouri.

After graduating, Anderson found a job in radio advertising in Odessa.

Anderson was called to duty again during the Korean War. He served for seven years as a lieutenant commander in Pensacola, Fla.

After the war ended, the couple moved to San Antonio, where Anderson landed a job as production director for WOAI-TV during the late 1950s, his son said.

A little more than a decade later, he and his son started the family business.

Charles Anderson said the family members didn't have problems getting along.

“It's a testament to the way we worked together. We were in business together for over 41 years. You can't find many family organizations that can get along for the amount of time that we did,” he said.